destroyed his ability to use magic.
But he had business dealings with my dad back in the day, and even though he’d said he was a doctor, Shame told me they had a fun little nickname for him: Collins the Cutter.
He was currently in hiding, trying to keep Davy alive. Maybe going to Collins would be a very good idea.
Why Collins?
I asked. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my dad. Okay, I wasn’t sure if I trusted him or not. He’d been really great recently, saved my life, maybe saved all our lives with that recorded box Roman had taken with him to England. Still, old habits were hard to break. And I had a long-standing habit of being suspicious.
Not that I don’t think it’s a good idea,
I added.
He has access to tech devices that may be far better equipped than Stone to contain the magics from the wells. He’s tending Davy. You want to check on Davy. And,
hesaid, a little hesitantly,
Davy’s condition may give us more clues as to how magic is tainted and what can be done about it.
And that was my practical-nigh-unto-coldhearted father. Let’s go study the guy fighting for his life to see what this epidemic could do to someone up close.
Still, it was the best plan we had.
“What about us meeting wherever Collins is?” I said. We’d gotten about halfway up the stairs, Zay in front, then Shame, then me, Stone ahead of us all making gurgling sounds like he was talking to the walls. Which he probably was.
Zayvion was still moving stiffly, as if his left hip hurt with each step. He covered it pretty well, but I knew him enough to know when he was trying to bull through an injury.
“Where is old Cutter?” Shame asked.
“Bea told me he was in the warehouses under the water tower,” I said.
“Anyone who trusts Collins the Cutter, do a cartwheel,” Shame said, his voice slightly slurred. That fever must be a special sort of fun while climbing the stairs. “No?” he continued. “Well, there’s your answer, Allie.”
“He has Davy,” I said. “And we need a place to meet.”
“He’s gonna rat us out,” Shame said. “And if he rats us out, I get dibs on killing him.”
“I don’t think—,” I started.
“You get first blood,” Zayvion countered. “I get to break his neck.”
“But that’s what we did with the last rat bastard,” Shame whined.
“And how well did that go?” Zay asked.
“Grand,” Shame said. Then, “Fine, be that way. You get to break his neck.”
“Excuse me?” I asked. “He’s a doctor. He’s looking after Davy. We don’t kill him.”
“We?” Shame said. “
I
never took an oath not to hurt him.”
“No one hurts him until we know for sure that Davy’s okay,” I said. “We just don’t go in there guns a-blazing.”
“Us? Guns a-blazing?” Shame said. “No, never that.”
Chapter Seven
N o one was on the hiking trail when we stepped through the door back into daylight. We must have been down there for longer than I realized. The light of afternoon was headed toward that hard gold of presunset, and the temperature had taken an uptick. It was at least in the high seventies, the kind of weather that made me want to go to the coast and put my bare feet in the sand.
Or used to make me want to do that. All it did today was make me sweat as we clomped down the trail back toward the bridge.
I’d told Stone to hide and find me tonight. I wasn’t sure how much of that he actually understood, but he got the hide part at least. He clattered up the hillside, disappearing in the greenery. He was fast and he was smart. He looked like a rock if he held completely still. I was pretty sure no one would spot him. He’d find me again.
On the downhill side of the bridge that crossed the bottom of the falls, Shame lifted his wrist and glanced at it, like he was checking the time. Only I knew he didn’t wear a watch.
One of the Pooh Sleuths must be checking in.
He glanced at Zay and nodded. They didn’t clue me in, and I didn’t ask until we’d gone
But he had business dealings with my dad back in the day, and even though he’d said he was a doctor, Shame told me they had a fun little nickname for him: Collins the Cutter.
He was currently in hiding, trying to keep Davy alive. Maybe going to Collins would be a very good idea.
Why Collins?
I asked. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust my dad. Okay, I wasn’t sure if I trusted him or not. He’d been really great recently, saved my life, maybe saved all our lives with that recorded box Roman had taken with him to England. Still, old habits were hard to break. And I had a long-standing habit of being suspicious.
Not that I don’t think it’s a good idea,
I added.
He has access to tech devices that may be far better equipped than Stone to contain the magics from the wells. He’s tending Davy. You want to check on Davy. And,
hesaid, a little hesitantly,
Davy’s condition may give us more clues as to how magic is tainted and what can be done about it.
And that was my practical-nigh-unto-coldhearted father. Let’s go study the guy fighting for his life to see what this epidemic could do to someone up close.
Still, it was the best plan we had.
“What about us meeting wherever Collins is?” I said. We’d gotten about halfway up the stairs, Zay in front, then Shame, then me, Stone ahead of us all making gurgling sounds like he was talking to the walls. Which he probably was.
Zayvion was still moving stiffly, as if his left hip hurt with each step. He covered it pretty well, but I knew him enough to know when he was trying to bull through an injury.
“Where is old Cutter?” Shame asked.
“Bea told me he was in the warehouses under the water tower,” I said.
“Anyone who trusts Collins the Cutter, do a cartwheel,” Shame said, his voice slightly slurred. That fever must be a special sort of fun while climbing the stairs. “No?” he continued. “Well, there’s your answer, Allie.”
“He has Davy,” I said. “And we need a place to meet.”
“He’s gonna rat us out,” Shame said. “And if he rats us out, I get dibs on killing him.”
“I don’t think—,” I started.
“You get first blood,” Zayvion countered. “I get to break his neck.”
“But that’s what we did with the last rat bastard,” Shame whined.
“And how well did that go?” Zay asked.
“Grand,” Shame said. Then, “Fine, be that way. You get to break his neck.”
“Excuse me?” I asked. “He’s a doctor. He’s looking after Davy. We don’t kill him.”
“We?” Shame said. “
I
never took an oath not to hurt him.”
“No one hurts him until we know for sure that Davy’s okay,” I said. “We just don’t go in there guns a-blazing.”
“Us? Guns a-blazing?” Shame said. “No, never that.”
Chapter Seven
N o one was on the hiking trail when we stepped through the door back into daylight. We must have been down there for longer than I realized. The light of afternoon was headed toward that hard gold of presunset, and the temperature had taken an uptick. It was at least in the high seventies, the kind of weather that made me want to go to the coast and put my bare feet in the sand.
Or used to make me want to do that. All it did today was make me sweat as we clomped down the trail back toward the bridge.
I’d told Stone to hide and find me tonight. I wasn’t sure how much of that he actually understood, but he got the hide part at least. He clattered up the hillside, disappearing in the greenery. He was fast and he was smart. He looked like a rock if he held completely still. I was pretty sure no one would spot him. He’d find me again.
On the downhill side of the bridge that crossed the bottom of the falls, Shame lifted his wrist and glanced at it, like he was checking the time. Only I knew he didn’t wear a watch.
One of the Pooh Sleuths must be checking in.
He glanced at Zay and nodded. They didn’t clue me in, and I didn’t ask until we’d gone
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